Student Government and Committees

A.Southern Illinois University School Of
Medicine Student Body Constitution

Article I: Statement Of Purpose

The purpose of the
Southern Illinois University School of
Medicine Student Body shall be to guarantee
the general welfare of the students of the
Southern Illinois University School of
Medicine. This shall include the
perpetuation of mutual respect and
communication among the students, faculty,
and administration.

Article II: Membership

All SIU medical students shall be members of the
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
Student Body.

Article III: Organization

This organization shall be known as the Southern
Illinois University School of Medicine Student
Body. The student body will consist of the
members of all the four classes.

A class shall be defined as that group of
Southern Illinois University Medical Students
which will matriculate in the same year. Each
class shall elect an executive committee yearly
consisting of up to six voting members from
among its members. Each executive committee
consists of a chair, a vice chair, a secretary,
a treasurer, and two representatives chosen at
large.

Article IV: Rights and Responsibilities of the
Membership

Section 1:

Each member shall have the right to voice an
opinion on the actions of the student body;
to take part in any of the activities
sponsored by the student body or their
class; to elect or recall the officers of
their class; and to participate in any vote
of their class, providing that voting
requirements are met.

Section 2:

Each member shall have the responsibility to
abide by the Honor Code of the Southern
Illinois University School of Medicine and
the Southern Illinois University School of
Medicine Constitution.

Article V: Duties and Powers of the Executive
Committee for Each Class

The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs
of the class; provide a sounding board for all
members of the class and formulate a budget for
use of class funds to present to the class. The
members of the executive committee of each class
shall serve on the Southern Illinois University
School of Medicine Student Assembly.

Section 1:

The executive committee chair shall
represent his/her constituents and call and
preside at class meetings. He/she will
establish any other committees he/she or the
executive committee deem necessary. The
executive committee chair of each of the
classes represent their constituents in
affairs pertaining to the whole of the
student body.

Section 2:

The executive committee secretary shall post
on the student website the agenda for each
meeting at least 48 hours in advance of the
meeting and the minutes of all class
meetings shall be available from the
secretary upon request of any class member.
The secretary shall prepare as necessary any
correspondence of the executive committee.

Section 3:

In accordance with university and state
expenditure guidelines, the executive
committee treasurer will supervise the
expenditures of the class and in so doing
must maintain adequate financial records,
which shall be open to inspection by any
member of the class upon request to the
treasurer. He/she shall disburse funds
appropriated by the class as a whole and by
the executive committee.

Section 4:

The duty of the representatives-at-large
shall be to represent their constituents at
executive committee meetings.

B. Student Assembly

Preamble

Since Southern Illinois University School of
Medicine has a separation of classes due to a
dual campus system and multiple clinical
facilities, the need for interclass
communication has been accentuated. It is our
sincere hope that this body will not only
function to alleviate this problem, but also
provide a unified student voice to make our
concerns clear to the administration and public
at large in an overall effort to enhance our
medical education.

Section I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
(SIU-SM) Student Assembly.

Section II. Purpose

The purpose of this Assembly shall be

to provide a means for
interclass communications

to provide a united voice for
student concerns

to provide a vehicle for the
student members' actions on issues and ideas
that affect the multifaceted aspects of
medical education.

Section III. Membership

This body shall be composed
of the class officers from each respective
medical class. These officers will consist
of the president, vice-president, secretary,
treasurer, and two (2) class representatives
from each class.

Each member of the Assembly
shall have one (1) vote, with the exception
of the individual chairing the meeting, who
shall only vote in case of a tie. A fifty
(50) percent voter participation shall be
required for a valid vote, and at least one
member from each class must be present at
the time of the vote. Absentee voting is
permissible for three working days following
the meeting.

The four students elected at
large from the student body as
representatives to the Organization of
Student Representatives of the Association
of American Medical Colleges shall serve as
Ex-Officio members of the Student Assembly.

The members of the Assembly
reserve the right to add members to the
Student Assembly as deemed appropriate by
majority vote. These members will be
Ex-Officio members without voting privileges
during Student Assembly meetings where a
vote is necessary.

Section IV. Officers and Administrative Council

The elected officers of this
organization shall be the Chairperson,
Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary. Together,
these officers shall serve as the elected
members of the Administrative Council.

The Chairperson's duties:

preside at meetings of the Assembly

coordinate the affairs of the Assembly

communicate all actions and recommendations
adopted by the Assembly to the appropriate
school official, and

serve as representative to the Executive
Committee and the Alumni Board of Governors.

The Vice-Chairperson's duties:

preside or otherwise serve in the absence
of the Chairperson, and

assist the Chairperson in the affairs of
the organization when requested.

The Secretary's duties:

record the minutes of all official
meetings

distribute said minutes to all Assembly
members

arrange the posting of said minutes to
the Student Assembly website, and

record the minutes of all Administrative
Council meetings, for their usage.

Responsibilities b-d shall be accomplished
within one (1) week of said meetings.

The positions of Chairperson,
Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary shall be
filled by secret ballot of all Assembly
members. The secret ballot may be conducted
electronically over email with votes
submitted to and counted by personnel in the
Student Affairs office. The persons
assuming these positions shall be those
receiving a majority of all votes cast.

The elections for
Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Secretary
shall be completed at the April Student
Assembly.

Impeachment proceedings for
any officer can be initiated after obtaining
a petition bearing the signatures of
two-thirds (2/3) of the Assembly members.
This petition, containing grounds for
impeachment, shall be presented at the next
scheduled meeting and an impeachment vote
placed on the agenda for the following
meeting. Removal shall be instituted by a
three-quarters (3/4) affirmative vote of all
Assembly members.

If the Chairperson is unable
for any reason to complete the term of
office, the Vice-Chairperson shall assume
the position of Chairperson for the
remainder of the term. Further succession
to the office of Chairperson, if necessary,
shall be determined by a vote of the
remaining members of the Assembly.

In the event of a permanent
vacancy in any position, except Chairperson,
nominations for that position shall be
received at that meeting, with elections to
be held at the following meeting. Those
duties that must be performed between the
announcement and the election shall be
filled by the remainder of the
Administrative Council.

Section V. Meetings, Quorum, and Parliamentary
Procedure

Regular meetings shall be held once per month at
the discretion of the members of the Assembly.

Special meetings may be called by the
Chairperson upon majority vote of the
Administrative Council, provided there is seven
(7) days notice.

A simple majority of voting members shall
constitute a quorum for regular meetings,
special meetings and Administrative Council
meetings.

Elections and formal actions may result by a
quorum of those present and voting by absentee
ballot.

All official members have the privilege of the
floor at regular, special and Administrative
Council meetings; such privileges shall be
exercised in a decorous manner. The Chairperson
will extend this privilege to all special
interest groups or individuals, if previously
placed on the agenda.

Whenever strict parliamentary procedure is
necessary Robert's Rules of Order (latest
edition) shall prevail, except when in conflict
with this Constitution.

All Assembly meetings will be open to all
interested parties unless an executive session
is announced by the Chairperson previously.

Section VI. Amendments

This constitution may be attended, repealed or
amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members
present and voting at a designated meeting of the
Assembly. Fourteen (14) days prior written notice
of the proposed constitutional change shall be given
to each member of the Assembly.

Section VII. Ratification

This body shall come into being at the first formal
meeting of the class officers, with general consent
of all voting members, at which time this statement
shall be changed to reflect the aforementioned
action. At this meeting, nominations of officers
shall be held in accordance with Section IV of this
constitution. This meeting shall be conducted by
the Chairperson.

The Committee shall be composed of the seven
student members elected to the Student Progress
Committee and eight members elected at-large by
their respective classes: two-first year students;
two-second year students; two-third year students
and two-fourth year students.

D.AAMC Organization of Student Representation

One student is elected by the Year One Class to
serve a four-year term to represent SIU School of
Medicine.

E.SIU School Of Medicine Committees With
Student Representation

Attendance at Committee meetings is at your
discretion. If attendance at the meeting conflicts
with a curricular activity that is mandatory or
otherwise critical for your academic performance,
you should consult with responsible faculty prior to
that activity, to determine whether you should
attend the activity, or if other arrangements can be
made. If a faculty member has concerns regarding
your academic performance and ability to participate
in this activity, this concern is referred to the
chair of the faculty committee and the request made
that you be relieved of responsibility on this
committee.

Any work that is missed because of attendance at
standing faculty committee meetings should be made
up.

Student committee members in academic difficulty,
defined by the Student Progress Committee or the Associate
Dean for Student Affairs, may be relieved of their
duties on all committees. Students who are required
to repeat a year due to academic difficulties
will not be allowed to hold a class office or
committee chair position.

Admissions Committee

There are four student representatives on the
Admissions Committee. The year one class elects one
student. This representative serves a four year
term and is responsible for regularly attending
meetings of the Admissions Committee which are held
in Springfield. In addition, the student
representatives are responsible for evaluating the
credentials of applicants and presenting them to the
committee, as well as participating as a voting
member in all committee decisions pertaining to the
admission of individuals and general admissions
policy.

Year One Curriculum Committee

Two students in the year one curriculum are elected
by the entering class to serve a one-year term.

Educational Policy Council

This committee has one representative from each of
the four classes. A year one student is elected to
the committee when the class begins its year one and
appointment is continuous until graduation.

This is the overall educational policy council for
the School of Medicine and it meets in Springfield.

Executive Committee

The president of the student assembly organization
is a member of the Executive Committee with vote.

Library Advisory Committee

One student is elected by the year three class to
serve a two-year term on this committee, which
reviews the functions and services of the library
and makes recommendations regarding acquisitions.

Student Progress Committee (SPC)

The year one class elects one student to serve a
four-year term.

The Student Progress Committee (SPC) is a standing
School of Medicine committee which is responsible
for monitoring the progress of all students through
the curriculum. The SPC shall function under the
Student Progress System as an advisory body to the
dean. The responsibilities of the committee are to
monitor student progress, identify problem areas,
assist students in dealing with these problems, and
determine whether the established standards of
academic conduct have been met. The SPC may delegate
any or all of its responsibilities to an appointed
subcommittee or subcommittees.

Provide input for the class on information
technology decisions that affect students.

Parking Committee - 1 student for a 1-year term
The Parking Committee must meet twice each year or
as necessary to prepare and submit recommendations
for needed revisions and additions to the
regulations governing the use of parking areas and
roadways for the Southern Illinois University School
of Medicine and associated monetary use charges.

Traffic Appeals Committee - 1 student for a 1-year term
The Appeals Board shall establish its own procedures
for due process (which must be approved by Associate
Legal Counsel for the School of Medicine) for
reviewing any parking violation that is being
disputed by the recipient of the violation. The
Board shall have the authority to affirm any
sanction imposed under these regulations or
determine no sanctions were required under these
regulations.

The Year Three Curriculum Committee develops policy
recommendations and monitors policy implementation
during the third year of the medical school
curriculum in accordance with LCME Guidelines. The
Committee is responsible for coordination and
oversight of the quality of education during the
Clerkship experience. A high priority is placed on
the continuing development and refinement of
clerkship curricula. The Year Three Curriculum
Committee resolves calendar issues and
interdepartmental evaluation issues and is a forum
for information sharing among members. The student
members represent the class views to this committee,
and has a voting seat on the committee.

The Year Four Committee develops, maintains,
improves and delivers the fourth-year curriculum. We
establish and enforce policies concerning the
electives program. We review and discuss special
student requests. The committee reviews student
feedback regarding each elective, reviews new
electives and provides feedback to the individual
departments and faculty members. The committee meets
monthly. The student members represent the class
views to this committee, and have a voting seat on
the committee.